Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-03-03
OUR EXPENSIVE SENATE
What Id costs to Keep Congress IN Runnissgs
Ax.da

What ID costs to Keep Congress I'M Runnassg
Order.
The Legislative, executive, aud ju6lcia-
appropriation bill, now on the house cal
endac, aggregates $50 SsS 9ll. This
a1moaGt is $418,545 below the sum appro-
priated for the fiscal year and sSSS 1920
below the estimate of the secretary OF the
treasury. 1t is usUal for tie corrm ittee
ON appropriations la preparing their bills
to take into consideration the feet that
MACY of the amounts reported will be in :
creased by the house and naany 'etkers by
the senate. Acting upon tins theory, the
committee reduce some Of the raanounts
presented in the estimates IN the full be-
lief that the figures reported by them will
be raised. Judging from previous exper-
ience, it is risking little that the pending
bill will be increased III amount at least
$1,000 900 by toe time the senate conh-
pletes it.
an examination of the expenses of tie
senate and house reveals a few interesting
faats. The total amount appropriated
for the senate is sSG0;083, which does not
include $41, GOO asked for to pay private
secretaries to senators who are not chair
men of committees, and which amount
tke senate will certainly add. The salar-
les of rs senator's amount to O,C8A
To wait upon these &c senators the SER
vices of ZIG officers and employees arene-
eauired, at an annual doost of $500, 3Sa.
These figures show that the services of
three attendants are eaecessary to each
senator, the aTerage annual pay of the
attendants being 81 ;3A1. The attendants
age employed not more than ten months
of the "a months included in a session OF
congress, which would give each of them
a salary of $25S per meath for the time
actually employed.
20 pay salaries to 225 representatives
and eight delegates 81 ,8s5, 000sisregu ire6
to pay 304 officers aud employees, $685.,
1I2. The difference between these fig ures
and those representing the aggregate
reQrired to pay senate officials KS worthy
OF sotice, as it will explain IN some
measure the annaak sguabole between the
two asranches on this question. Hhe av-
erage paid the o&icial lis 81 ,24A per an
mum, which is SlS7 less than that paid by
the senate. The senate f:orce is equal
to three assistants to each senator while
that of the house fs less than one for
each aember.
/ The-nileage of senators costs Ss9, 900
per annum; that OF representatives ITO,
924. The senate mileage divided per
espita would give every senator over sS434
| 8 sum sufficient to furnish each of them
with di-st-ciass passage froEa San Eran-
cisco 10 London or Paris. The house
mileage Eoots up $I10ys124 which is eaul-
valent &c 1888 90 per capita. The al
iowanee per mile each way is 20 cents.
At the last session the Easieage of officers
of the army and navy, when travelling
under orders, was fixed at 8 cents per
mile At the present session, in the sum
dry civil hill, this allowance was 9txed at
actual expenses, exclusive Of sleeping and
parlor carecharges, and cents per mile.
Able Arguments were made in the house
to show that this allowance was ample to
cover the tram cling expenses of all other
government officials. why not apply 1t to
members Of congress? Here is good
opportunity to save $4,000 per ann@m.
! For contingeGst expenses the bill pro
vides for the senate SO $50, and for the
house 1887. these sums, divided per
capita, would give each senator from TIE
contingent fund 1921 land each represent
alive $342. Summarizing the incidental
expense OF congressman. exclusive OF
their annual salary Of $4,000, each senat-
or costs the government to provide him
With attendance over S5,3O7 per annum,
and the cost of each representative and
| delegate is S,S4O, the senate's total for
personal attendance is S403,379; that Of
the house, S612, 674.